Fire as an Artist’s tool

“Root 1” (fire on Eastern Red Cedar), by Wayland, Mass.-based artist Pam Kainz, in her show “Present Tense,’’ at Bromfield Gallery, Boston, March 4-29.

She says:

“I use fire as a tool to mark and sculpt wood. My practice is grounded in observation, attending closely to what the material already holds and working in response to its inherent qualities. When my torch meets wood, a carefully controlled yet inherently unpredictable dialogue begins, one that requires full presence and attention.

“The surfaces of found cedar roots are torched to reveal, preserve and honor their natural forms. Their branching arm-like structures extend outward, echoing systems of growth and exchange, suggesting an ongoing search for nourishment and connection.

“My ‘Edge Burns’ series explores the material transformation as painted wood yields to fire. Working with single colors on wood panels, I use controlled burning to activate the painted surfaces. Each panel holds a charged tension, where stillness and change negotiate their boundaries.’’

First Parish Church in the affluent Boston suburb of Wayland.

—Photo by John Phelan